Flashpoint Drabbles
by FreelanceDreamer
Summary: A series of Flashpoint drabbles staring all characters including past characters. I am however partial to one Gregory Parker so I may focus on him. Oneshots, may or may not be connected. Rating may change
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. **Hello all, like the cliff hanger I left you all with in 'The Ties that Bind'? Haven't read it? I suggest you do, it took me six chapters but I finally got the ball rolling! Anyways, this will be either a one shot, or a series of them that probably won't be connected. My first FlashPoint fan fiction but we all knew it was coming, you can't be Canadian and not love FlashPoint. Who's the star of this one shot? Why none other than Greg Parker! Because he doesn't feel the love often enough. Enjoy!

**His Burden To Bear**

It seemed ironic that the thing that had destroyed his life ten years ago was so readily available in practically every store he entered. You couldn't legally wield a gun without a license, couldn't get a hold of narcotics without knowing someone who could hook you up either. You couldn't even buy cigarettes without knowing what you wanted anymore thanks to a law that put them in a shelf with a door on it. Yet, if you were of legal age you could walk into a bar and buy a bottle of scotch, or walk into supermarket and buy a bottle of red.

Greg Parker stopped his shopping cart in front of the shelf containing enough wine to fill a small pool and eyed the labels. He was vaguely aware of a sales person telling him of their specials and what was best, and which wine would go with what food. He already knew though, he knew more than the annoying sales person as well. He knew because he spent the time he should have devoted to his family to alcohol.

And there wasn't one day he didn't regret it.

Not one day where he could pretend it was okay. That he was absolved from the fact that he had single-handedly ruined the lives of Dean and his wife. That was his skeleton in the closet except it didn't stay in the closet; it followed him to work, to the store, to bed. Haunted his memories and terrorized his dreams. He'd been to church a handful of times in the past ten years and there had always been talk of hope for everyone, no matter what you had done or how crazy your life is or had been. So far Greg had no hope; there was no light at the end of the tunnel for him.

What he wouldn't give to hug his son again. To tell Dean that he loved him and had never stopped even though they lived in different countries. What he wouldn't do to get forgiveness from the only thing that mattered in his life.

His team was his family; Ed, Wordy, Sam, Jules, Spike, they were his family, the people who kept him going from day to day. But no one could replace his son; no one could replace his own flesh and blood. Staring at the bottles of wine he could help but ask himself the one question that was always at the back of his head. What if? What if he'd never turned to the bottle? What if he turned to his wife for help instead of Jack Daniels? What if his family had never left him, what would his life be like now?

As a negotiator, he faced people who were like him except had been pushed so far they risked endangering themselves or other people. He always told them to let the past go, let everything that haunted go because you couldn't change it no matter how hard you tried. And God knew he'd tried, tried everything to make what happened ten years ago right. Now he was resigned to the fact that maybe he didn't deserve a second chance, a sick human being like him didn't deserve to be happy. He'd messed up his chance and now he didn't get another one.

"Greg? Greg buddy you with me?"

The sound of a familiar voice repeating his name over and over again brought him back down to Earth, mercifully away from his thoughts. He turned to see Ed and Sophie watching him, an echoing look of concern on their faces. He could tell Ed was using his training as an SRU officer to assess his friend, looking for any signs that could point towards a relapse, or a chance of one at the very least.

Greg nodded his head once, twice, three times trying to convince Ed and Sophie as well as himself.

"Yeah Eddie, I'm good. Good to see you Sophie, long time no talk," He hoped his voice held as much conviction as he thought it did. He really didn't want to start drinking again, couldn't bear put the people he loved through that again. He watched as Ed slowly relaxed and felt himself relax as well. Ed knew him better than most people; if he could see no warning signs then Greg trusted that there wasn't any.

Sophie nodded to him but seemed wary of him, worried for him. A quick glance at his watch told him that they were probably getting some emergency dinner materials. After a moment of silence Greg rolled his shoulders, "Well Eddie, Sophie, I won't keep you any longer. I should probably be getting home anyways, got… stuff to do." He hope his lie wasn't as transparent as he thought it was, he knew Eddie would be able to tell, but maybe he'd be willing to let it go and go home to his family.

Giving them a half wave he turned and began to walk away with his pathetic cart full of microwave dinners and milk.

"Greg! Greg wait, please just wait."

He turned to see that Sophie had taken a step towards him, the concern still evident on her face. Her worry made him upset, did she really not trust him to not go back to alcohol, or was she just being kind? As he watched her worry gave way to a smile, "You're going to an empty house, why don't you come have dinner with us? I'm not taking no for an answer either, so we'll meet you out front in ten."

Greg felt the beginnings of a shocked grin begin to cross his face and he looked to Ed for an answer. Ed put his hands up in front of himself with a grin equal to his own, "Don't look at me Greg, the wife had spoken."

He and Ed shared a laugh as an indignant Sophie lightly slapped her husband's bicep. Parting way Greg finished the rest of his 'grocery' shopping and checked out. Perhaps the only upside to living alone was that his grocery bill was next to nothing and because of his job he really didn't need to shop all that much as he was never home.

Ten minutes later, he stood waiting outside the store, bag in hand waiting for Ed and Sophie. He was glad to see that they were getting along. There had been a rough patch before their daughter Isabelle had been born but things seemed to be okay for the time being. It made Greg wonder if maybe he could have worked things out with his wife all those years ago.

"Hey Greg, ready to go?" Greg turned to see Ed and Sophie walking towards them, between them almost three bags of groceries.

"Yeah, but you mind if I drop these off at my place? Frozens you know..."

He waited a few moments while Ed and Sophie had a private conversation, he couldn't imagine it was about him though. Unless he'd unknowingly set off some kind of argument, but he doubted it, they didn't seem to be aggressive in any way. Another moment passed before the two shared a kiss before Ed put the bags in a cart which Sophie walked away with. Greg raised an eyebrow when Ed walked over to him patting him on the back.

"Mind if I hitch a ride with you?"

"Eddie you can't just leave your wife to go home and make dinner and watch the baby on top of that."

"Come on Greg, Clark's at home they'll be fine. Now let's go before heaven forbid those stupid microwave dinners in your bag melt."

Greg smirked before leading the way to his car. He could tell that Ed wanted to talk to him. More than likely about the fact Ed had found him in front of a wine wrack, but he didn't have anything to worry about. He wasn't going back come hell or high water.

It took five minutes before Ed spoke again.

"Were you tempted?"

Although Greg knew it was coming it was still a shock to hear the words.

"No." He was absolutely sure of his answer. He had to be, and he knew he hadn't been tempted, he'd been given a second chance and he didn't want to risk a third.

"I believe you, but it just looked like you were contemplating…"

"I wasn't Eddie; if anything I was wondering where my life went wrong."

He could feel Ed's eyes on him, looking for any sign he was lying, he wouldn't find one though, because he wasn't lying. Ed seemed to let it go and they go to Greg's house and back without any more particularly intense conversation. Their conversation drifted to Raf and the fact he'd had to take his first lethal the other day. They were understandable worried about him as they hadn't heard from him in the past couple of days.

When they entered Ed's house the smell of chicken and tomatoes greeted them. The smell bad Greg's mouth water, it wasn't often that he went all out when cooking for himself, it wasn't worth it. Even restaurant style food couldn't give the comfort that real home cooked food could bring. Sophie was pulling the food out of the oven and Clark had just finished setting the table. Ed's infant daughter was asleep in her car seat in the living room, Greg smiled sadly remembering when Dean had been that small.

"Hey Mr. Parker." Clark's voice interrupted his thoughts and he smiled. He could still remember when Clark was a young boy, eyes full of childlike innocence and hope. He was a good older brother, maybe a little jealous, but he had been on his own for nearly eighteen years, it was to be expected.

"Hey Clark! How ya been?"

The amiable chit chat continued through the diner, which had been the best thing Greg had eaten in a long time. After the table had been cleared he and Eddie were sat outside while Sophie and Clark battled dirty dishes.

"Thanks Ed, the food was amazing and the company was needed."

He watched Ed nod and rested his elbows on his knees and watched as the street lamps came on, he mused about the neighbourhood, and it was a good one, no recent crime and lots of kids.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. You gotta stop doing this to yourself Greg. You have to forgive yourself, you're not the person you were ten years ago."

There was so much truth behind Ed's words it hurt. They made his chest hurt and he could feel a headache coming on. He couldn't forgive himself though, not yet. He hadn't made it right yet and that was his burden to bear.

"I know Ed, I know."


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.** Hello again! Sorry it's taken so long for an update, I had typed one up, and then like half got deleted and then I lost the inspiration. Hopefully that will not be the case with this one. Thank you to all the reviews, you guys keep me going and you're all honestly like my fanfiction heroes. Also, Ed is _hard_ to write! But hopefully I did him some justice. Sorry for the unhappiness, it just happens :/ Please review!

Ed shot straight up in bed, drenched in sweat and clutching at his chest. It took him a moment to realize he was awake, and that the bullet that pierced his chest in his dream had remained in the dream. Taking a few deep breaths he looked over at Sophie sleeping soundly on the other side of the bed. Having an infant in the house left everyone tired and exhausted night after night. He brushed a strand of her hair away from her face and watched her instinctively lean into his touch, it brought a smile to his face to know that through everything she still wanted to stay with him.

He wasn't thick, he knew had hard it was to be married to a cop who was married to his job. Deciding he wasn't going to get anymore sleep he slowly and quietly got out of bed and left the room. The cool of the hallway met him as soon as he left the room and padded barefoot to the washroom where he pulled his sweat-drenched shirt off. Hands resting on the counter he looked at his reflection in the mirror, tired and a little on the thin side. Muscles built-up from over a decade of policing and scars from the hard work that entailed.

He ran a hand over his head and splashed his face with water. It was just past midnight and he didn't think he was going to get back to sleep anytime soon. He could take a shower but he'd rather Sophie didn't wake up if Izzy woke up. It wasn't worth waking her up if he was already awake.

As if on cue, he heard his daughter's faint whimpering from the nursery. He quickly put on a fresh shirt before going to the nursery. Upon walking into the room he wanted to take his shirt off again.

"Oh wow, thermostat's broken again. Sorry Izzy, guess that's not too comfortable."

Approaching the crib he lifted his infant daughter out of her crib tucking her in the crook of his arm. When they'd moved in it had been a blessing to have a room with a separate thermostat, especially after Clark was born. However, it had a tendency to break down during the night which left him or Sophie trying to make a quick fix until they could fix it properly the next day.

Deciding he was never going to get back to sleep that night anyways he grabbed Izzy's blanket and left the room. He sought refuge in the living room and curled into the couch with his daughter safely in his arms. When he looked down the eyes looking back at him were his own. He wasn't used to that yet, Clark had Sophie's brown eyes, buy Izzy's eyes were blue.

He watched as she slowly drifted off to sleep, the temperature in the room comfortable enough for her to do so. She was so… peaceful, so innocent and it made Ed wish that he could make her stay that way. So that no one could ever hurt her and that she would never have to feel any pain.

"You know Izzy, you should really try to stay this young. It's so much better this way. Just stay this little, I'll take care of you, deal? No, I guess not eh?"

He continued to watch her; it was calming to watch her just breathing. He knew he was talking to himself, that she couldn't really understand him just yet but he was afraid that when she got older he would chicken out. He wouldn't be able to say all the things he wanted to because he would seem weak.

It was completely new to him though, it hadn't been easy with Clark but at least Clark was a boy. A girl, he didn't know how to deal with a girl. All the… hormones and mood swings and clothes, make-up and, he shuddered, boys. It made him wonder how Wordy made it work with three.

He was so lost in his musing he didn't notice Sophie when she padded barefoot into the living room. He glanced up after a moment and smiled.

"Hey"

"Hey there daddy, whatcha doing?"

He shrugged as Sophie came over and sat next to them on the couch. She rested her head on his shoulder glancing down at their child with love-filled eyes. They sat like that for a long time, quietly watching their baby, occasionally stealing a glance at the other. It wasn't that long ago when they both would have cringed at the idea of having to be intimate. It seemed like their whole world had been consumed with tension and stress and unresolved anger.

"You know I love you right Soph?" There was a sort of hopeful vulnerability in his voice. He needed to know that she knew that his feelings for her had never wavered; they'd only been strangled into submission with everything that had gone on.

She looked up at him and the world seemed to fade away. When was the last time they'd been able to just sit with each other and just be husband and wife? For so long they'd just been Ed and Sophie; two separate individuals sharing the same life.

"I love you too Ed, I know things have been hard but-"

"We'll work them out."

"- together."

Ed smiled as he leaned down to kiss his wife. Their daughter still nestled safely in his arms, all her features peaceful and innocent. He pressed his forehead to hers and even with his eyes closed he could tell Sophie was smiling. It was evident in her shoulders and the way she traced circles on his chest.

"You would tell me if something was bothering you right?... Right Ed?"

He could tell she was talking about the fact they were sitting in the living room instead of lying in bed. He briefly thought back to the nightmare he'd had, the fear of not being there for his family. To see Clark get married, or see Izzy say her first words.

That was the reality of the job though, every day when you walked out the door to go to work there was a chance you wouldn't be walking back through the door that night.

"Ya Soph, it's just work and stress and… the usual really"

"Your usual is kind of extreme though Ed, maybe you should talk to Greg or someone if you don't want to talk to me."

Ed frowned, "It's not that I don't _want_ to talk to you Soph. It's just that I want to keep my job away from here. From you and Clark and Izzy."

He felt her pause in her designs on his chest before she started up again. The repetitive movement calming his frayed nerves.

"We're your family Ed. We're here to pick you up when you fall. And yes Clark and Izzy and young but they're here for you too, in the ways I can't be. You need to realize that."

He leaned in for another kiss before he considered his answer. It wasn't natural for him to feel vulnerable; he was supposed to be the one in charge. Yet, what Sophie was offering sounded so good to him. He wanted nothing more than to just let his family and friends support him for a bit so he could rest for a bit.

"Let's go back to bed okay? Get some sleep, you need your sleep. Ed?"

Ed looked from his wife to his sleeping daughter in his arms. He doubted he'd get any more sleep tonight and the only thing keeping the demons away was Izzy. But Sophie words made more sense. Slowly he rose from the couch and walked with Sophie to the nursery where he put Izzy back in her crib.

He crawled back into bed and felt the mattress dip slightly when Sophie got in the other side. Felt her snuggle into his chest and wrap her arms around him and felt the kiss pressed to the column of his neck.

"I love you Ed Lane."

Ed felt the knot in his stomach loosen at her words; everything would be okay, in time. After all, miracles were slow too weren't they?

As he felt Sophie drift back off to sleep he couldn't help but smile in spite of himself.

"Love you too Soph."


End file.
